


with you danger seems like a good thing

by jenouniverse



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gangs, M/M, Mention of Character Death, Police, angsty nomin, jaemin gang member, jeno police son, maybe a lil smut we'll see, side markhyuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenouniverse/pseuds/jenouniverse
Summary: Son of police chief Lee Jeno never expected to live an exciting life.That is, until he is assigned to go undercover as a gang member to source out secret information about the gang. How might he be getting this information? Well, no other than the youngest and feistiest member of the gang, Na Jaemin.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hiii everyone :) i needed something to keep me busy so i decided to write a lil! this is just for fun so sorry if it’s not the best!  
> p.s. title is from nct baby don’t like it hehe

"Quit frowning kid, it's not a good look on you."

Jeno, slumped over a table, didn't even bother to see who was greeting him, knowing exactly who had just walked into the break room. A small grunt escaped Jeno's throat, who still refused to even sit up.

"Well good afternoon to you too Lee Jeno, I'm doing well, thank you for asking."

"Oh quit teasing him, he's just a teenage boy," another voice added from across the room, knowing damn well that would get a response from the previously ignorant Jeno.

Lee Jeno was not an average teenage boy. Sure, some of his hobbies included playing video games, working out, and sleeping, just like every high school senior. Really, he wasn't much different. Except, of course, being the local police chief's son. Living in a small town meant everyone knew everyone, and Jeno became known as the good-looking son of the chief of police. While most kids Jeno's age grew up playing football or hanging at the beach, Jeno spent most of his weekends at the station, watching and observing the chaos of officers and criminals while learning what it takes to become a police officer. It was he knew. Although the constant questions about his dad and the police department from his classmates became slightly annoying, Jeno did always get quite a lot of attention from the girls, which was something him and his friends definitely appreciated. The police station had become home to Jeno. They were his family, having known them since he was tiny, which was why he found himself sitting across from Qian Kun, who had a big smirk on his face.

"Sorry Kun," Jeno sighed, straightening up while rubbing his eyes. "I'm just in a mood today."

Kun had become one of Jeno's closest friends throughout the years and was honestly like an older brother to him. Being an only child with a very busy father wasn't always easy, so Jeno turned to the police department for company. Kun had started working at the station seven years ago, and immediately formed a bond with the younger boy who lurked around the station and was only eleven at the time.

"It's alright buddy, you know I was only kidding." Kun said, glancing over at the other presence in the room. Kim Doyoung. The chief of police's right hand man. Besides Jeno's father, Doyoung was possibly the most successful man in the entire department. At such a young age, he held so much power, which was something Jeno envied. Jeno looked up to Doyoung greatly. He served as a mentor for him.

"What's up Jeno? You're not acting like yourself today." Doyoung asked, taking a seat at the table next to Kun. "Are you feeling alright, you look super pale."

Jeno sighed, sinking back into his chair. "Yeah, it's just, assignment day gets me all stressed out, you know?"

Assignment day. The day that new tasks and missions are given out to officers to complete. Assignment day only occurred once a month and is saved for the important longterm missions, yet Jeno's father had decided to push it forward a couple weeks and call an emergency meeting, meaning a new assignment had come up and was extremely urgent. However, Jeno had never been assigned a mission. It was his only wish in life. Each month would come around, praying he would finally get his chance, only to be disappointed when tasks were assigned to other, more experiences officers. Sure, the station was fun to hang around and Jeno didn't mind doing paperwork or helping officers with whatever they needed, but he was tired of being treated like an intern. He wanted some action. It wasn't like he wasn't ready for it, having trained with the real officers for years and being forced to study legal documents and cases by his father. He just wanted to prove himself. He _needed_ to prove himself.

"Buddy, don't stress. I'm sure you'll get one soon. Hey, you never know, today could be your day!" Kun exclaimed, trying to cheer Jeno up.

Jeno snorted while rolling his eyes. "Yeah right, how much do you want to bet it will be given it Doyoung." Jeno glanced in Doyoung's direction. "Again."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Doyoung said, clearing his throat and standing up to return to work. "For your information, I happen to already know what the assignment is and who it's being given to. Just, don't be late to the meeting you two, or your father will have a fit."

Jeno and Kun giggled, thinking about the mischief they always seemed to get into which usually led to them being five, ten, sometimes even twenty minutes late to meetings. "In all seriousness though, is there a reason I haven't gotten a mission yet? Like am I doing something wrong?" Jeno asked, the smile fading from his face.

Kun looked back at him, feeling sorry for the boy and remembering the pain and longing for his own first assignment. "Jeno, of course your not doing anything wrong, assignments are hard to come by, especially your first one. Besides, it's like your father always says, the-"

"The right assignment for you will come at the right time, I know, I know." Jeno interrupted, having heard that phrase hundreds of times that it's practically implanted in his brain. "It's just, I've worked so hard this year, I really do think I'm ready."

"I know you do, you just gotta be patient." Kun replied, patting Jeno's back. "Well, I need to go finish some work before the meeting so I'll catch you later?"

Jeno only nodded, not meeting Kun's eyes.

"Hey, cheer up, I've got a good feeling about this one." Kun said smiling.

Jeno scoffed, a smile smile replacing the previous sulk. "You say that every time."  
  
Kun chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he walked out of the room, leaving Jeno alone.

Jeno reached for his phone, feeling the vibrations of notifications in his pocket.

**"12 UNREAD MESSAGES"**

_"What could this be?"_ Jeno thought to himself before unlocking the password.

**GROUPCHAT**

**FRIDAY 6:43 PM**

**renjun:** boys why is it a friday night and we dont have plans? 

**jisung:** excellent question my friend

 **renjun:** do yall wanna come over i have the house to myself :)

 **chenle:** im down

where are your parents?

 **renjun:** out of town for the wknd lmao

 **jisung:** dude u should host a party

 **renjun:** dude do u not remember what happened last time i did that? im literally still in trouble lol

 **jisung:** i see ur point

anyway im in

 **chenle:** jeno?

 **renjun:** jenooooo wya?

When Lee Jeno wasn't at the station, he was always with his friends. Jeno loved his friends more than anything else and couldn't imagine a better group of guys to do dumb shit with. Renjun, Chenle, Jisung, and Jeno had been inseparable since they were six years old. Now twelve years later, not much had changed except for a few growth spirts and glow-ups.

**jeno:** ah sry guys im stuck at the station

assignment day :/

Jeno sighed, knowing how nice it would be to just hang with the boys, not having to worry about any of this police stuff. Just being a normal high school boy. 

**jisung:** aw u havent been able to hang in so long to

 **chenle:** ^^^ :(

 **jeno:** ik im sry i rly wish i could

Yes, Jeno had realized he had been a bit... distant lately. What was he supposed to do? He had been working harder than ever in the past few weeks. Of course, he didn't want to let his friends down and put them aside, but he was being forced to question his priorities.

**renjun:** wait i thought assignment day wasn't for a couple more weeks?

 **jeno:** my dad called a meeting tn so im guessing its pretty urgent idk

Jeno frowned, noticing the tenseness of Renjun's text. He knew his schedule was hard to work around, but he always thought his friends, best friends, would fully support him through everything. Suddenly that was being second guessed.

**renjun:** oh

well good luck

 **jisung:** hope it goes well ig

 **chenle:** we miss you jeno!

 **jeno:** thanks guys <3

A sad smile sat on Jeno's face, knowing he was disappointing his friends. Again.

"You ready to go?" Doyoung asked, standing at the doorway with his usual, serious face.

"I guess so?" Jeno sighed, slowly standing up and making his way over to Doyoung, noticing how his heart rate immediately jumped. " _This better be worth it."_ Jeno thought to himself as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, wanting to forget about everything at that very moment.

Once in the conference room, Jeno took his place next to Kun in the back of the room, like usual. No matter how many meetings he had attended in his life, the dark atmosphere combined with the intensity of the crowded, sticky room gave Jeno chills. He spotted his father at the front with Doyoung at his side, who had abandoned him as soon as they stepped into the room, as well as some other officers who were clearly having an in-depth conversation. Jeno knew what to expect. His father would start by giving a long speech about the assignment and its importance before announcing who the mission would be given to, which would most likely be an older, higher ranking officer like usual. 

The room went silent as Mr. Lee stood up, clearing his throat. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me here tonight."

Jeno rolled his eyes. _"As if we had a choice."_

"I understand this is a last-minute meeting, however, after discussing with my team, we strongly believe that this simply could not have waited any longer." Mr. Lee continued. "This is probably one of the most, if not _the_ most important missions we have been faced with."

Jeno chuckled to himself, knowing exactly how predictable his father was.

"As some of you may know, multiple gangs have formed in town over the past few years. We have reason to believe that illegal, dangerous activity has been taking place within one of the gangs and that the group could become violent in the near future, creating an unsafe environment in our very own town."

This was by far one of the most interesting cases Jeno had ever heard. Typical assignments usually had to do with missing people or drug scandals or even abusive household, but this was a completely new field for Jeno.

"Now, in order to gather all the information we need, we have decided to take a slightly... different approach than usual."

Whispers started filling the room as confused looks sat on the faces of officers. Jeno glanced over at Kun who looked just as confused as him, only shrugging his shoulders before returning his attention to Mr. Lee.

"We need someone who can provide us with insider information. Someone who can play the part and go undercover."

"Like a mole sir?" An officer shouted, receiving a few chuckles from around the room.

"Yes, exactly." Mr. Lee replied. "A mole."

Jeno couldn't believe it. What a mission. What an adventure. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely heard what his father said next.

"Of course with this type of mission, it is crucial that the undercover.... mole... can not only play, but look the part of a gang member as well. We need someone young, someone who knows the norms of teenagers and young adults in this day of age, and someone who has no problem adapting to the mannerisms and characteristics of a young gang member. We truly believe that this person is sitting here today, and he is no other than my very own son,"

"Lee Jeno."

Jeno suddenly straightened up, looking around the room, unsure if he was the only one who heard his name come out of his father's mouth. _"Am I hearing things? Maybe I am officially going crazy."_ He snapped back into reality by the thundering sound of applaud and cheers from officers, and the feeling of hands patting his back from people surrounding him, especially Kun. His face grew red knowing how many people must have been looking at him, and kept his head hanging low while the biggest smile grew on his face. He glanced up at his father who seemed to share his smile, knowing how long Jeno had been waiting for this moment.

"Alright, alright, settle down." Mr. Lee ushered, "Now, this is still very much of a team effort. I need you all to be alert for any of Jeno's reports and prepared for emergency measured we need to take to ensure his safety."

Jeno swallowed hard, not realizing how much danger he would be putting himself in. 101 things could go wrong, but he didn't even care. This was what he was made to do.

"Starting tomorrow, Jeno will become apart of the gang for the next few weeks. We will be communicating with him the entire time while he updates and provides us with needed information."

"But sir," an officer spoke out, raising his hand. "How exactly will we be getting this information?"

"Ah yes, of course, how could I forget?" Mr. Lee chuckled. "Our number one source of information, and well, target. The youngest and feistiest member of the gang,"

"Na Jaemin."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jaemin get your ass in here, I'm not going to ask again!"

Just the kind of thing everyone wants to hear waking up. 

Jaemin groaned, sluggishly turning over in bed to glance at this clock. His eyes widened when a time of 1:06 pm glared back at him in big red numbers. He slowly slid out of bed, following the voice that had previously yelled at him.

When entering the kitchen, Jaemin felt the stares of Taeyong and Johnny, who were seated at the table expecting his arrival. Rolling his eyes, he plopped down across from the with an unamused look on his face.

"What?" Jaemin snapped, clearly annoyed that his slumber had been interrupted.

"Lose the attitude boy, don't forget who you're talking to." Taeyong snapped back, not afraid of the younger kid.

Jaemin immediately dropped his head, regretting his tone as his face turned a bright shade of red. _"Rule number two: never disrespect your leader or elders."_ Jaemin reminded himself.

Lee Taeyong was one of the strongest people Jaemin had ever met. He had saved his life. After being abandoned by his own parents at a young age, Jaemin ended up on the streets with no shelter, no food, nothing. That is, until Taeyong found him and took him in. It has been eleven years since he had joined the gang, and they were his family.

"Listen up, we have a job for you," Johnny, another member of the gang that Jaemin had known forever, spoke up. "There's a new kid coming by today..." Johnny glanced at Taeyong. "And we need you to show him around, you know, figure out his deal, really let him know what it means to be here."

"What? Why me? I don't want to do it!" Jaemin protested. 

"Well, we figured since you guys are around the same age, you'd be able to relate to him the most."

"Plus, you'll be roommates soon so you might as well get to know him." Taeyong continued.

"Roommates?" Jaemin groaned. "I didn't agree to this!"

"It's not up to you Jaemin" Taeyong chuckled, leaning over to ruffle Jaemin's hair, something that he had always hated. "Maybe making a friend wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, hm?"

Jaemin pouted, hating this new boy already. "Friends? I'd like to see that happen."

Taeyong flashed a sarcastic smile. "Just be back down here in an hour, okay?"

*****

"Jaemin, you're late! Come down!"

 _"Fuck."_ Jaemin never had many responsibilities in the gang, but let's just say he wasn't the most reliable member when it came to being on time and following orders. He leapt out of bed where he had just been watching tv and threw on a sweatshirt that had been sitting on the bedroom floor for the past week and a half.

As he stumbled downstairs, Taeyong called out to him again. "Seriously Jaemin? You couldn't have set an alarm or something?"

"Relax man, the dude's not even here y-" Jaemin stopped right in his tracks, coming face to face with the unfamiliar boy standing right in front of him. This was NOT what Jaemin had expected at all, this boy had bright blonde hair and possibly the biggest smile he had ever seen. _"What's he got to smile so much for?"_ Jaemin thought, frowning as he looked the boy up and down.

"Jaemin, this is Jeno. Jeno, Jaemin will be your roommate and has offered to show you around and get you settled in, so if you have any questions, just ask him." Taeyong said while smirking at Jaemin, only to get a death stare in return.

"Nice to meet you Jaemin!" Jeno exclaimed, reaching out to shake Jaemin's hand. This action was quickly retracted after receiving a disgusted look from Jaemin, who looked miserable as hell.

Taeyong had to hold back from laughing at what he had just witnessed, trying to keep a straight face as he glanced from boy to boy. "Well. I have to go take care of some business so I'll leave you guys to it. See you around Jeno."

Jeno nodded cheerfully, provoking another judgemental expression from Jaemin, who was already making his way back upstairs, not bothering to make any small talk to ease the awkwardness. "Follow me."

Jaemin couldn't help but steal the odd glance at the boy trailing him, a million thoughts flooding his head. It wasn't often that new members just joined the gang out of the blue with not much explanation. However, Jaemin knew one thing for certain. No member ever joined looking like Jeno. 

When Taeyong had taken Jaemin in, he was a mess. Ripped clothing, messy hair, a body that looked so fragile and delicate that it could snap in half at any moment. Yeah, it definitely wasn't his proudest moment. Throughout the years, he noticed this trend in other members who joined, each one looking more broken than the last. 

Jeno, on the other hand, looked like he was on his way to his private country club to play croquet with his perfect family. No one ever showed any sign of happiness when first joining the gang, nonetheless actually smiled. 

Jaemin could always tell how a new member's soul was weak. There was always fear and uncertainty in their eyes. But as far as Jaemin could tell, Jeno's eyes were brighter than the stars themselves. 

After showing Jeno their room and where he would sleep, Jaemin jumped right back into bed, returning to the show he was watching. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jeno looking at him, not saying a word. _"What is with this guy?"_

"Don't look at me like that." Jaemin snapped, making eye contact with the boy who was gently sitting on the bed across the room for the first time. 

"Like what?"

"Like-, I don't know, just stop it."

Silence filled the tense room as Jaemin brought his attention to his phone with a smug look on his face, thinking he had some type of power over Jeno. A few minutes passed and still nothing had been said, which only filled Jaemin with more confidence and fueled his ego. Suddenly Jeno sat up, looking back at Jaemin again.

"But how am I supposed to stop if I don't even know what I'm doing?"

Jaemin sighed. It was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiii this is more of a flashback chapter but hope you enjoy!

If there's one thing Jeno had learned in the 30 minutes he had been at the gang house, was that gang members can get pissed at...well...anything. Or at least Jaemin did. Jeno now understood why he was known for being the feistiest of the group. He wasn't bad looking either. Not that it meant anything of course, Jeno liked girls anyway. Plus, he couldn't get distracted from what he came to do, remembering his last conversation with his father.

_"I never thought that I, son of chief of police, would be joining a gang, but here we are!" Jeno giggled, sitting at the dinner table across from his dad._

_Mr. Lee stared up at him with a look that immediately made Jeno regret what he had just said. "Jeno, this isn't a joke. I need you to take this seriously."_

_Jeno's smile disappeared as he lowered his head, a red blush creeping up his neck._

_"While we're on the subject, we need to go over some ground rules so you don't blow your cover, or, you know, get yourself killed."_

_Jeno's eyes widened, not wanting to think about that possibility._

_"You are to report any illegal activity that occurs. If at anytime you feel that your life is in danger or you are at risk of exposing the operation, signal '911' to us and we will send in backup."_

_A million thoughts were swarming inside of Jeno's head as he started to tune out his father's words. 'There's no way my life will be threatened, right?' He thought to himself while fidgeting with his fork in front of him._

_"You are not there to make friends, but if a friendly relationship gives you access to more information, then so be it. Do what you need to do but please son, do not get attached to any types of bonds you form. They're not real."_

_How could Jeno, the biggest extrovert and friendliest guy around not make any friends? Did his father realize what that was asking? 'I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a few acquaintances. What's the worst that could happen? How would dad even know anyway?'_

_"Oh, one more thing." Mr. Lee continued, snapping Jeno out of his trance. "I called your school and got you a few weeks of excused absences, since obviously this is your main priority right now. I'm also going to ask that you refrain from seeing any of your friends for the time being, just until this is all over."_

_"What? But Da-"_

_"Jeno I mean it. I need your full focus and attention on this missions. We can't risk any leaking any information. You won't even have time to think about them, you'll see."_

_Jeno sighed, knowing how disappointed his friends will be, yet again._

_"Well, get some rest, a driver will pick you up tomorrow morning while I'm at the station. Text me if you need anything and don't forget to report anything you deem necessary." Mr. Lee said, leaving the table._

_"Wait, Dad?"_

_Jeno's father turned on his heels, only to be met with a big hug from his son, something that rarely occurred anymore. "Thank you for giving me this, I'll make you proud, you'll see." Jeno whispered into his dad's chest._

_What Mr. Lee said next would stay in the back of Jeno's mind for the next few weeks, months, possibly forever._

_"I'm counting on you son. Don't blow this up."_

_The next morning, Jeno was filled with jitters that made his whole body shake. His new life for the next few weeks would start today. "Okay, I'm really doing this." He thought as he threw on a dark green sweatshirt with some grey sweatpants, hoping his attire would fit the "gang aesthetic" he was going for. He raided his closet of any dark clothing, and shoved it in a small bag he would take with him. Before leaving his room for the last time in god knows how long, he took in one last breath of the familiar scent of laundry detergent and cologne. He scanned the room, not realizing how much he would miss that he had never thought twice about. His eyes rested on his giraffe stuffed animal that was sitting on his favorite pink hoodie. Jeno had always loved warm, pastel colors, which was why it was quite a challenge to find clothes that wouldn't make him look straight out of a hollister commercial. He walked over to his giraffe, the one he had carried around since he was born. As he picked it up, a wave of uncertainty rolled over him, and he couldn't help but throw both the sweatshirt and the stuffed animal in his bag before scurrying out the door without looking back again._

_Jeno knew the plan and possibly every single detail that went along with it, but he couldn't help going over everything in his head once more. He made sure to study the part he was playing, as if he was cast as a character in a movie. He had memorized his story and introduction, wanting it to be as believable as possible. It didn't seem real until he actually arrived at what he presumed was the gang house. He couldn't help but feel fearful when meeting Taeyong, the leader, who was supposedly taking Jeno in. There was so much power in his presence alone, Jeno immediately got chills._

_Meeting Na Jaemin, his source of information, was a whole experience in itself. Jeno wasn't entirely sure what he had in mind, but he was surprised at how youthful and innocent Jaemin looked. Hell, he could have been one of Jeno's classmates, maybe even one of his friends. "Alright, I can work with this." Jeno thought to himself while examining the young boy with incredibly dark eyes. "Maybe this will be more fun than I thought."_

Currently sitting in Jaemin's room, now his room, filled Jeno with emotions he didn't even know he had. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Hell yes.Jeno, who was usually the most outgoing person in the room, was now quieter than he had ever been before. He felt so small in this unfamiliar setting surrounded by new faces, not knowing how to act in front of these intimidating strangers. After what felt like hours of silence, Jaemin finally spoke out.

"So, like, do you want a tour or what? You might as well meet everybody."

 _"Everybody."_ Jeno was about to meet the whole pack. He flashed another big smile at Jaemin and nodded eagerly.

"Dude, why are you smiling so much, it's weird."

Jeno quickly put on a less cheerful face, forgetting that this wasn't the joyful environment he was used to. "Oh, sorry, I just like smiling."

Jaemin didn't respond, but his stare spoke louder than words while signalling to follow him out of the room.

 _"Note to self: stop smiling."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yup. its been months. oops.

"So this is obviously our house, or headquarters, which is what Taeyong likes to call it." Jaemin explained while leading Jeno down the corridor. "All of our rooms are on this floor and then the kitchen and living room and stuff are downstairs."

As Jeno stopped to look around the upper floor, Jaemin couldn't help but wonder one thing. _"What is this kid doing here? He doesn't fit the gang stereotype the slightest."_

"Can I ask you something?" Jaemin splurted out before his brain could process what he was doing.

Jeno slowly nodded, a nervous look sitting on his face while he braced himself for whatever questions he was about to be asked.

"Why are you joining the gang? Like, what's your story?"

Jeno paused before answering, no more sign of his big smile anywhere on his face. "Well, things were getting pretty rough at home so I ended up couch surfing and stealing and just going down a bad path. Taeyong kinda saved me actually. He says he got an anonymous call practically begging to take me in, so here I am now."

"Classic Taeyong, always putting others before him." Jaemin chuckled. "You're lucky you're here, don't forget that." His tone suddenly becoming more serious.

An awkward silence followed the conversation as both boys refused to make eye contact with the other. Jaemin cleared his throat before continuing with the tour. "So you've obviously already met Taeyong, but it's time for you to meet the rest. Good luck." Jaemin said with a smirk, knowing exactly how to scare his new roommate already.

"Good luck? Wait Jaem-" Jeno couldn't even finish his sentence before Jaemin had barged into the room that was next to theirs, swinging the door wide open.

"What's up losers?" Jaemin yelled, creating chaos in the previously peaceful environment.

"Dude seriously, do you not understand the concept of knocking?" A boy with olive skin groaned.

"It's Na Jaemin, of course he doesn't." A different voice replied, making the two boys giggle.

Jeno stood awkwardly at the door, unsure of what to do or say. He felt the eyes of the unknown boys look him up and down as their smiles slowly faded. Jeno, frozen in his tracks, looked to Jaemin for any type of reassurance, or really anything to save him in this moment. "Uh guys, this is Jeno. He's the newest member and just arrived today. Jeno, this is Donghyuck and Mark."

" _This_ is the new member?" The boy named Donghyuck asked. "Hell, sure doesn't look like much, huh?" He said with a wicked grin. Jeno looked down, feeling smaller and smaller by the second.

"Oh he's just teasing, don't listen to him," the other boy, Mark, spoke up. "Maybe now that you're here Jaemin will finally be put in his place."

"Excuse me?" Jaemin scoffed, throwing a pillow at Mark, who couldn't help but laugh. "Trust me, I already got told off by you guys for literally anything, I definitely don't need someone else on my case."

"So you guys are good friends?" A small voice said, still leaning on the doorframe.

"Friends? Nah, these guys are like my brothers." Jaemin replied. "We all grew up together, Mark and Haechan know me better than I know myself."

"Haechan?" Jeno repeated, slightly confused.

"It's Hyuck's nickname, it means fullsun. You'll come to see that a lot of us have nicknames that we get called by. Might just be a gang thing, I don't know." Jaemin continued, shrugging casually.

"Well what's yours?"

"You don't get to know that yet, it ain't that easy."

"Jeno sulked, trying his best to process and remember all this information that was getting thrown at him. "Will I ever get a nickname?"

"You just got here kid, take a breath." Haechan scoffed, inching closer and closer to the panic-struck Jeno.

"Anyway, yeah, we're really close." Mark said through a wide grin. "We're kinda known as the three musketeers of the gang."

"But you know," Haechan smirked, strutting over to Jeno and placing his arm around his shoulder. "I guess there's always room for a pretty fourth musketeer."

Jeno turned bright red as his eyes flicked around the room to avoid eye contact, not knowing what to say to the flirty boy literally attached to him. All that left his mouth was a quiet stutter, only making Haechan's evil smirk grow.

"Alright Hyuck, I think you've scared him enough for his first day." Jaemin chuckled, noticing the complete fear and horror on Jeno's face.

"What can I say, first impressions count baby!" Haechan said while backing off, subtly winking at Jeno. Jeno quickly stepped back and made his way to Jaemin's side, which gave him a strange sense of comfort, despite only knowing the boy for a matter of hours. It felt odd, but nice.

"As much as I would have loved to see, whatever that was, continue, I still have to introduce Jeno to everyone else and finish showing him around, so we'll catch you later."

"Close the door on the way out, wont you? And next time, maybe, like, knock or something?" Mark said rolling his eyes.

Jaemin raised his eyebrows in response and smiled. "Why? Everyone already knows what you two are up to in here anyway." Jaemin grabbed Jeno and ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them so the protests from Mark and Hyuck became muffled.

"I'm going to kill you Na Jaemin!" was heard from behind the closed door, clearly from Hyuck.

Jaemin only giggled before yelling back. "You know I'm right!"

Jeno's eyes widened. "Wait, are they-"

"I- It's complicated." Jaemin interrupted, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway, moving on."

***

"So the house is kinda divided into sections." Jaemin explained after leading Jeno into a slightly noisier environment. "Upstairs are all the rooms, and then down here there's the kitchen, living room, and meeting room. Oh, and Taeyong's office, but no one's really allowed in there unless invited. Secret documents and shit, you know the deal."

Jeno was suddenly intrigued, knowing how valuable those documents and plans would be for his mission.

"I've never been inside, and I've been here for eleven years, so I wouldn't get your hopes up." Jaemin said, reading the expression on Jeno's face. "Anyway, through here is the living room, where we all just chill and hang out."

Jeno followed Jaemin through a long corridor to a room larger than he expected. He looked around at the sofas and TVs and gaming systems that decorated the room. Powerful music booming from the speakers filled his ear and he couldn't help but notice how excited and giddy he felt standing in that moment. Yes, he was on a mission and would do anything to succeed, to prove himself to his father, but he couldn't deny the energy he felt.

Something else Jeno quickly noticed was that he was not alone.

"That's Johnny, Yuta, and Jaehyun." Jaemin whispered, noticing the three boys Jeno was staring at. "They're considered the toughest members, so they've got us covered in any, well, conflicts, with other gangs. 

If Jeno thought Donghyuck was intimidating, he didn't even know what to think of the members only feet away. Their broad shoulders and piercings and tattoos and scars over their faces definitely did not go unnoticed, and all the previous excitement had suddenly been drained from Jeno's body, instead being replaced with fear and anxiety.

"Just a tip," Jaemin smiled, "Maybe don't get on their bad sides. They can smell fear, you know", and before Jeno could respond, he was being dragged towards the danger by Jaemin, who just casually marched right up to where the three boys were playing poker. 

"Hey hyungs, this is Jeno, the new member."

"Ah perfect! Fresh meat!" exclaimed the silver-haired boy, who Jeno assumed to be Yuta based on Jaemin's vague descriptions. His dangly earrings and smug smile made Jeno shiver, and the words that had just come out of his mouth definitely did not help.

The boys laughed at Yuta's comment, clearly noticing the panic in Jeno's eyes.

"Ha, kidding." Yuta added with a wink, although his tone suggested otherwise.

Johnny was next to speak, the tallest of the three who literally towered over Jeno. "Be careful of this one Jeno," he said ruffling Jaemin's hair. "He's an evil one."

Jaemin flashed a sarcastic smile before escaping from Johnny's hold and flipping him off.

_"How classy"_

Jeno couldn't even look directly at Jaehyun. He was like a prince, well, a naughty prince. He could sense the mischeif behind his cool composure. Lucky for Jeno, Jaehyun didn't say a word, just a simple nod after closely looking Jeno up and down, which was enough to send chills down his spine. He swallowed hard, unsure if he was expected to say anything or just continue standing awkwardly in silence. He glanced over to Jaemin in hopes he would be saved from this terrifying moment.

Whether Jaemin sensed Jeno's discomfort or the fact that he himself was simply just bored, he completed a very complex handshake with each of the members, something that apparently signaled his departure. The three gave Jeno a nod of acknowledgement, which was awkwardly returned by the younger.

"I guess we'll see you later at the initiation Jeno." Johnny spoke out as Jeno and Jaemin had began to walk out of the living room. However, he hadn't even bothered to wait for a response before immediately diving back onto deep conversation with Yuta and Jaehyun.

Jeno's head snapped to meet Jaemin's, a mix of confusion and panic in his eyes once again. "Initiation? What does that even mean?"

"Oh right. I might have forgot to mention that." Jaemin said in the most casual tone, not even bothering to make eye contact with the concerned boy. "Tonight we have to officially swear you in to the gang. You'll have to recite some shit and like 'prove your loyalty and worth' or whatever," he mocked with air quotes. "It's kinda old-fashioned and lame, but we all had to do it. Traditions never die here, I guess."

If Jeno didn't look stressed before, he most definitely did now. _"How am I supposed to prove my loyalty when my sole purpose here is to be, like, the exact opposite of loyal?"_ He cleared his throat and tried to compose himself before speaking out again. "Wait, so you're telling me I have to recite stuff in literal hours that I haven't even learned yet? What am I even supposed to be memorizing?"

Jaemin's face immediately dropped to an even more annoyed look. "Fuck, I forgot. Taeyong asked me to help you prepare. Whatever, we'll do it later."

Was he being serious? It seemed like Jeno's entire future in the gang and success in his mission kinda heavily depended on this night, and his study partner had just "forgotten" to even inform him of this event. Great.

Jaemin squinted at his watch, knowing how much trouble he'd be in if Taeyong found out about his lack of memory once again. "Relax, we still have a couple of hours, but we're gonna need all the time we can get. Well, there goes the rest of my afternoon, thanks a lot."

It was Jeno's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, not sure how any of this is my fault so I don't really know what you want me to do about it."

Jaemin through him a dirty look, not wasting any extra energy than necessary, knowing he had a long afternoon ahead of him. Jeno, clearly quite overwhelmed, turned to make his way back to their room, wanting to start preparing as soon as possible only to be stopped by Jaemin's familiar agitated voice.

"Uh, where are you going?"

"Upstairs? You literally just said we'd need the next few hours to study, or whatever the hell I need to do so I don't embarrass myself tonight."

"Well you still haven't met everyone yet so it can wait." Jaemin smirked, finding pleasure in how riled up the other boy was getting.

"Bu-"

"The longer you stand here and whine about it, the less time you'll have to prepare, so it's really up to you."

Jeno frowned with a heavy pout sitting on his lips. He wasn't going to lie, this Jaemin kid seriously wasn't making his first day go as smoothly as he had hoped. In fact, he was doing the exact opposite, and Jeno would be lucky if he had any hair left at the end of the day from tugging on it out of frustration. Nevertheless, he sulkily followed Jaemin to their next location in the house, wanting to get the introductions done as soon as he possibly could.

The boys entered a kitchen that was a lot neater than Jeno thought it would be. A long table sat in the corner of the somewhat spacious room, which was expected given the amount of members living there. One of these members just happened to be seated at the island placed in the middle of the kitchen while another was occupied cooking, running back and fourth between the stove and the fridge. However, as soon as Jaemin and Jeno stepped foot into the kitchen, the boy put down his pots and pans and engulfed Jaemin in a huge hug, which surprisingly to Jeno, was graciously accepted and reciprocated by the younger. The unfamiliar boy's eyes widened as he noticed the shy and timid kid staring back at him behind Jaemin. 

"Jaeminie, who's your friend?" he innocently asked, untangling himself from the younger boy to get a better look at the new face.

"This is Jeno, the new member. He just got here today. Jeno, this is Taeil hyung, the oldest member. He kinda takes care of everyone, like, all the time."

For being the oldest member, Taeil couldn't have been much taller than Jeno. In fact, the younger actually had a few inches on him, which made Jeno giggle internally. Taeil only smiled back at him, but rather than a fake one he had just plastered on, similar to the previous members he had met, it was sincere. It was the first genuine smile Jeno had received the entire day. A huge weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders, and Jeno could actually breathe for once. He barely had time to react before Taeil had wrapped his arms around him, not seeming to care that they had met a total of twenty seconds ago.

"Haha, yup! That's me!" Taeil exclaimed, now resting his chin on Jeno's shoulder due to the height difference that had become much more obvious."I'm always the one picking up the pieces when these idiots decide to do something stupid."

Jaemin scoffed at that, earning him an amused look as Taeil finally backed away from Jeno, who was still silent. "Don't pretend like I don't always clean your infected wounds and scars after you decide to get involved in fights, Jaemin."

Yeah, Jeno pretended he didn't hear that one.

"Uh, hello? You just gonna forget about me? I'm here too, you know!"

Jeno jumped at the unexpected voice behind him, completely forgetting about the other presence in the room.

"No one wants to talk to you anyway Xuxi!" Jaemin teased, only to receive a playful punch to his shoulder.

"Jeno, I presume?" the boy asked once his eyes were set on the new member in the kitchen.

Jeno nodded, falling back into an intimidated state just at the mention of his name. He was baffled at how young the member looked but how tall and broad he was, and sitting down too!

"I'm Yukhei, but everyone calls me Xuxi, so I guess that's you now too." Yukhei chuckled while cocking his head. "When Taeyong said we were getting a new member, I didn't realize he'd look like this!"

Blush immediately crept up Jeno's neck and to the tip of his ears, always something he'd hated about himself, and he was honestly unsure whether to be flattered or completely terrified by the comment.

"Relax man, he's been here for less than 12 hours and you're already hitting on him. Real classy." Jaemin intervened, clearly disgusted by the other. 

"I mean, he's not wrong." Taeil laughed. "How are you finding things Jeno? I trust Jaemin is being the good tour guide that he is?"

Jeno snorted under his breath remembering the conversation he had just shared with his 'tour guide'. "I'm doing okay, thanks for asking. Just a bit overwhelmed taking everything in."

Taeil flashed another comforting smile towards Jeno, empathizing for the shy boy. "We can be a bit much sometimes, you'll get used to it. After tonight everyone should warm up a tad. Speaking of that, how's initiation prep going Jaem?"

"We don't have to ta-"

"Yeah, how is initiation prep going, Jaemin?" Jeno cut in, looking over to the boy who was attempting to get out of his responsibility, once again.

"Don't tell me- Na Jaemin have you seriously not helped Jeno at all with this? You know how seriously Taeyong takes initiation!" Taeil said with a disapproving look on his face. 

"Yeah dude, come on. You had one job." Xuxi added in the background, sutffing his face with the snacks Taeil had just laid out.

"I may or may not have forgotten, okay! We were actually about to go do that now, weren't we Jeno?" Jaemin said defending himself, hoping the latter would come to his rescue.

Jeno, feeling braver by the second, looked away, wanting to rile Jaemin up for a change. "I don't know Jaemin, are you sure you can take on such a large responsibility? I know your memory hasn't been the best lately and I wouldn't want to, you know, waste the rest of your precious afternoon."

Jeno could sense Jaemin's cheeks turning red as a furious look took place on his face. "I like this kid already!" was heard by Xuxi through the laughter of himself and Taeil. Jeno felt a level of pride, but also feared for his life as Jaemin looked ready to murder him on the spot.

"Hm. Good to know my new roommate is quite the comedian." Jaemin began, staring deep into Jeno's eyes, his soul. "Upstairs. Now."

_"Shit. I've really done it now."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so those are all the members... for now :)


End file.
